West Bank, Occupied Palestine – Displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has surged to unprecedented levels, as Israeli authorities and settlers continue operations that human rights groups describe as ethnic cleansing. A recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report highlighted the forced expulsion of 32,000 Palestinians from three refugee camps—Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarem—between January and November 2025, marking the largest mass displacement in the West Bank since 1967.

Escalating Violence and Displacement

Israeli military operations and settler attacks have intensified across the West Bank, leaving over 1,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023, when Israel launched its campaign in Gaza. Violence by settlers living in illegal settlements has also spiked, targeting Palestinian civilians, homes, and agricultural land.

In Area C of the West Bank, where Palestinians have no administrative authority, the UN reported that more than 1,000 Palestinians were displaced after Israeli demolitions, with an additional 500 made homeless in East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities cite a lack of building permits, which are notoriously difficult for Palestinians to obtain, as justification for the demolitions.

“We are witnessing the total abandonment of Palestinian lives,” said Yuli Novak, executive director of Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. “The situation in the West Bank is deteriorating by the day. The international community must end Israel’s impunity and hold those responsible accountable.”

Israel’s Plans for Annexation and Settlements

Senior Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have openly declared intentions to annex parts of the West Bank and legalize illegal settlements. More than 700,000 Israelis live in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Smotrich has promoted the E1 settlement project, creating 3,000 homes that would separate East Jerusalem from the West Bank, undermining the prospects of a future Palestinian state.

“We will establish sovereignty first on the ground, and then through legislation… My life’s mission is to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Smotrich stated publicly.

Operation Iron Wall and Legal Pretexts

Israeli authorities have cited planning laws and “military necessity” for displacing Palestinians. Operation Iron Wall, targeting the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarem camps, was framed as a campaign to eliminate resistance. Many homes were bulldozed, and displaced residents remain barred from returning. Petitions to Israel’s Supreme Court claiming violations of international humanitarian law have been rejected.

Surge in Israeli Settler Violence

Violence by Israeli settlers has increased sharply, with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recording over 260 attacks in October 2025 alone, averaging eight incidents per day—the highest since data collection began in 2006. Settler attacks frequently target Palestinian farmers during critical seasons, such as olive harvesting, aiming to disrupt livelihoods and force residents from their land.

The Palestinian Farmers’ Union (PFU) described these attacks as deliberate strategies to undermine rural Palestinian communities, making life increasingly unsustainable for the indigenous population.

International Response

Human rights organizations have called for senior Israeli military and political leaders to be investigated for violations of international law in the West Bank, including the forced displacement of civilians and systematic settler violence. Despite widespread documentation of these abuses, Israel has faced minimal international consequences for its actions.